Freedom Train

April 20, 1963 Cont.

April 20, 1963 Cont.

Terry stood, his foot tapping anxiously and his hand holding the receiver to his ear. After a few minutes, a womans voice was heard over the line.

"It appears as if there's no answer," the operator said. "Would you like to try another number?"

"No, thank you," he replied, hanging the phone back on the hook.

How could Annabeth not find him to tell him she was leaving? How could she go back to Audumnly without speaking with him first? Sure, he knew that they weren't technically an item anymore, but he thought that he deserved more than a message passed between friends.

Terry supposed he could wait a beat and then try calling back again. But it was getting late now, maybe they were already in bed for the night. He decided that he would try again in the morning. And then, if there was no answer he would take a different route- And drive into Audumnly to speak to her in person.

***

"He called me an idiot, can you believe that?" Sandy said into the darkness.

The lights in the hotel room were off. Bobby was in the other bed, rubbing his hands over face, the sound of Sandy's voice getting more and more obnoxious with each passing second that she babbled on.

"Well..." he began.

"Don't you finish that sentence, Robert Warren," Sandy warned. "Annabeth would never agree with that crazy fool. She would take my side."

"Sandy," Bobby groaned. "Are you going to buzz about this all night? I'm beat. I spent a lot of time driving today and we have to get up early for Church. I'd be ever-so-grateful if you would just shut the hell up."

Sandy scoffed and sat up in the bed, throwing the covers off her legs and standing to her feet.

"Fine, you big cry baby. You go to sleep. I'm going to take a quick walk to clear my head."

"You do that," Bobby mumbled- his eyes closed and his mind already drifting.

Sandy walked from the motel room, a light jacket in her hands. The world outside was dark and would have put most women on edge- But Sandy wasn't most women. The only thing Sandy Merriman feared was herself.

Before she knew it, Sandy found herself in the nearest 24-hour gas depot, purchasing a pack of smokes and a glass bottle of Coca-cola with her last dollar bill. It was strange to see a woman behind the register, a young black woman who looked strangely familiar to Sandy.

"Hey, I know you," the woman said. "You're Annabeth's friend, right? Sandy?"

"Guilty," she replied. "And you're...?"

"Candy," the woman said, reaching out and offering Sandy her hand. "Annabeth used to be a good friend of mine until I went and messed it up," she laughed. "How's she doing?"

Sandy looked at the extended hand and took a step back, leaving it hanging in the air. Candy. She knew that name. This was the man stealing hussy.

"Moved back home after her Daddy died. Just today, actually." Sandy answered, her voice a little bit edgier now that she knew who the woman was. "Have a good night," she ended as she turned for the door.

"You, too," Candy called.

Just as Sandy was about to walk away, she noticed the small sign in the window that brought her steps to a halt.

'Help Wanted.'

Now, it was far from normal to have a woman behind the register of a gas station. Even more abnormal for her to be working the night shift. But Sandy needed to put up some money- And it almost seemed as if it were fate that had led her there that night.

Sandy forced the biggest, fakest smile on to her face and turned her heels back toward Candy.

"You're hiring?" she inquired.

"Sure am," Candy smiled. "You looking?"

Sandy walked back to the counter as she extended her hand. This time, two hands met and shook.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," Sandy grinned. "Sandy Merriman. And yes, I am."

***

"It's late," Ronny said as he came up behind Annabeth in the barn. "You should really head inside and get some rest."

She had, technically, finished what needed to be done for the night. Yet, Annabeth found herself feeling more at home inside the barn than she felt inside the house. So instead of retiring for the night to get some respite for what would be an early morning, she decided to waste time brushing out one of the mare's instead.

"I'll come in soon," she sighed.

Her hand continued to push the brush against the horse's mane, the hair completely untangled.

"She's looking real good," Ronny said, leaning against the stall door. "I'd even say her hair looks better than yours."

Ronny reached out and pulled a stray piece of straw from the back of Annabeth's hair and chuckled. Annabeth, however, was unamused as she continued to brush.

"Thank you," Ronny said after a moment of silence. "For coming home to help. I know it's not easy for you. I know you built up a life in the city and with your friends. But I appreciate you, and I want you to know that. We'll find someone to fill in soon. You'll be back on the trail in no time, A.B."

Annabeth nodded her head.

"I know," she sighed. "It's just that..."

Annabeth's voice trailed off and she shook her head, like she wasn't going to finish her thought.

"It's just that what?" Ronny asked. "I thought we've gotten to the point in our relationship where we can actually talk to each other."

Ronny reached out and let himself inside of the stall. He took the brush from her hand and nudged her out of the pen and into the middle of the barn, where he set the brush on a small wooden table.

"It's just that I didn't get to say good-bye to Terry. He's been so busy lately and there was just never any time."

"Is that all?" Ronny asked. "We can drive into Birmingham anytime you want," he smiled. "We can track him down and you can say whatever it is you want to say."

"And when, pray tell, are we going to have the time to do that? I know I told Sandy and Bobby that I'd be able to make it back now and then, but there's so much work to be done around here. Mama's taken to being cooped up in her bedroom, too, so there's not just barn work- There's house work. And we have to care for her, as well. It's exhausting trying to do it all with only two people."

Ronny nodded sympathetically and placed a caring hand on his big sister's shoulder.

"I know it sounds impossible right now," he consoled. "But we will make the time. Right now, we need to go get some rest. That rooster's gonna crow sooner than either of us would like to admit."

Annabeth nodded, her head low as she followed Ronny out of the barn and back toward the house.

Yes, they would make the time. She just didn't know when.